Month: August 2026

EL CENTRO, Calif. (KYMA) – A police chase unfolded in El Centro, ending early Tuesday morning with one person in custody.

The El Centro Police Department (ECPD) was assisted by the California Highway Patrol as officers pursued the suspect Monday night.

Authorities eventually deployed spike strips, bringing the chase to an end.

“At about 11:30 last night, one of our patrol officers conducted a traffic stop, or attempted to conduct a traffic stop on a motorist,” said Sgt. Adrian Chilpa with ECPD. “That motorist failed to yield and took our officers on about an one hour long pursuit within the City of El Centro.”

One man was taken into custody without incident, and is now facing charges of felony failure to yield for an officer and possession of a stolen vehicle.

EL CENTRO, Calif. (KYMA) – What started as a traffic stop in El Centro turned into a high-speed chase.

Video posted to the El Centro Police Department’s (ECPD) Facebook page shows them trying to conduct a traffic stop on Wednesday, August 12, but when the driver failed to stop, the chase began.

After a brief pursuit, the driver crashed the car and all three passengers fled on foot.

ECPD deployed their drone team and found all three suspects and arrested them.

During the investigation, officers discovered the car they were driving was reported stolen.

All three suspects were booked into the Imperial County Jail.

WINTERHAVEN, Calif. (KYMA) – Theresa Caputo Live! The Experience is happening this weekend.

Caputo, who is known as the “Long Island Medium,” will be at the Quechan Casino Resort’s Pipa Event Center Saturday, August 22, at 8 p.m., with the doors opening at 7 p.m.

During the show, Caputo, according to the resort, will bring an evening “filled with personal stories, humor, and emotional moments as she connects with audience members and delivers messages from loved ones.”

“The Experience isn’t about believing in mediums. It’s about seeing something life-changing,” says Caputo. “It’s witnessing first-hand spirit communication.”

To learn more about Caputo, click here. To purchase tickets for the show, click here.

YUMA COUNTY, Ariz. (KYMA) – The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) said they dropped their legal battle to challenge Proposition 314.

The Arizona law was approved by Arizona voters in the 2024 election.

Section 5 of Prop 314 would give state and local law enforcement the authority to arrest people suspected of illegally crossing the border. 

The ACLU criticized the proposition, saying it is unconstitutional.

News 11 spoke with residents across Yuma County who shared if it is something they are worried about. 

“Their work is to protect the community and not to be pulling people over to ask for their documents or papers,” Martin Rodriguez, a San Luis, Arizona resident.

The ACLU also said they dropped the case as of right now due to there being no indication law enforcement agencies in Arizona are enforcing Section 5.

“The voluntary dismissal of this case does not change that Section 5 of Proposition 314 is unconstitutional. Immigration enforcement falls under federal authority and is not a state responsibility,” said Tara DeGeorge, legal director for the ACLU of Arizona. “We will continue to monitor for racial profiling, unlawful detentions, and deportations that violate people’s rights and continue educating the public about the law and its impact on Arizona communities.”

CALEXICO, Calif. (KYMA) – Federal, state, and local leaders gathered in Calexico to inspect the ongoing environmental and public health crisis plaguing the New River, signaling a renewed, coordinated push for a permanent solution to decades of transboundary pollution.

The heads of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 9 and the U.S. Section of the International Boundary and Water Commission (USIBWC) toured recent infrastructure improvements before hosting a public roundtable meeting at the City of Calexico Fernando “Nene” Torres Council Chambers to hear directly from impacted stakeholders.

For decades, toxic waste has flowed north across the U.S.-Mexico border through the New River. The pollution causes significant ecological and health damage to Calexico residents and local communities stretching all the way to the Salton Sea.

Now, the City of Calexico’s “New River Project” functions as a temporary defense system by screening heavy trash out of the water as it crosses the international border.

Michael Martucci, the EPA’s Region 9 Administrator, noted that localized infrastructure makes an immediate difference, but stressed it is only a starting point.

“The project like the one that we’re standing at today goes a long way to improving the quality of life for folks diverting polluted flows away from communities,” Martucci said. “But at the end of the day, we are now looking toward bigger goals, cause that involve actually addressing the pollution at its source.”

The pathway forward is complex, requiring a broad coalition of stakeholders to navigate the challenges.

“The pathway forward is certainly not an easy one,” Martucci added. “My hope today is to connect with the community, understand those concerns even better and then make marked progress both near term and long-term progress on steps necessary to address this permanently.”

Reaching those long-term goals is increasingly urgent. The U.S. and Mexican Sections of the IBWC routinely collect water samples twice a month to monitor the system and react to spills.

Both sections conducted a comprehensive Binational Water Quality Study from November 2024 to December 2025 with participation from Mexico’s National Water Commission (CONAGUA) and laboratory analysis in the United States.

While the official report is still being prepared by the IBWC, preliminary results show high bacteria levels along with nutrients, trace elements, and organic chemicals.

Rep. Raul Ruiz (D-Calif.) highlighted the human toll of this contaminated water.

“There’s been a lot of irritation of the eyes, a lot of pulmonary diseases, high rates of asthma and there’s suspicion that it is causing cancers in the local population,” Rep. Ruiz said. “So it is important for us to get together to solve this problem and clean up the new river.”

However, securing a permanent fix requires resolving severe local financial gaps. While state grants funded the initial construction of the current trash-screening system, local budgets cannot keep up with operational demands.

California Assembly member Jeff Gonzalez (R-District 36) revealed that the project is facing a critical deficit.

“Yes, the state did pay for this through grants but the current operation and maintenance budget is not there,” Assembly member Gonzalez explained. “It’s $150,000 but yeah it takes $300,000 just to manage so they’re upside down so we need state to step in and we need the federal to step in.”

American infrastructure and funding represent only one half of the equation. Because the pollution originates across the border, officials emphasized that lasting success depends on binational accountability and moving past documentation into physical construction.

“The USIBWC is very excited about getting into this action oriented process,” said USIBWC Commissioner McIntosh. “I’ve got great scientists and engineers in the commission and they’re just aching to get the job done and get past the study stage so we’re very excited to be here.”

However, McIntosh noted that the structural source of the problem must be built where the waste originates.

“Part of the issue that we’re facing is that this type of project should really be on the other side of the border so the kind of discussions we’re gonna be having is getting Mexico to step up to take responsibility to deal with the issues that are their issues,” McIntosh explained.

Leaders are drawing stark comparisons between the Imperial Valley’s crisis and San Diego’s ongoing sewage battles in the Tijuana River Valley. Officials believe that replicating the aggressive federal and diplomatic strategy used in San Diego could accelerate cleanup efforts in Calexico.

“It involves several pieces…it involves infrastructure, right? Infrastructure is something that we must study, it takes a while to build, but it’s ultimately part of that solution,” Martucci explained. “And the other part is holding Mexico accountable for the pollution that they’re sending here over the border and that involves efforts pressure that this agency and IBWC has brought in places like Tijuana to see marked improvements, which is all part of our solution.”

The recent site tour and City Hall roundtable have injected a sense of momentum into the region, leaving community members hopeful that new construction will finally cut through decades of bureaucratic red tape.

City officials stated that until a permanent, binational solution is fully realized, Calexico will continue operating the New River Project to keep the waterway as clean as humanly possible.

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – The Yuma County Ag Producers Scholarship (YCAPS) Program is setting a new record, awarding $70,000 in scholarships to 30 local students pursuing careers in agriculture.

The total surpasses last year’s record of $61,000 awarded to 27 students. The program has continued to grow since its founding in 2007, with community support helping local students pursue degrees in agriculture and related fields.

YCAPS President Kyle Kuechel said the program was founded on a simple goal: Giving local students interested in agriculture a path forward while encouraging the community to invest in their education.

“The Yuma County AG Producers Scholarship was founded in 2007 with a simple but important idea. Local students who want to pursue agriculture education should have a path forward and our community should support them,” Kuechel said.

YCAPS was established through the Friends of Dr. Barry Tickes Group.

Dr. Tickes is a retired agriculture agent and weed specialist who served Yuma, La Paz and Mohave counties.

Over the years, fundraising events including the Harvest Dinner, Southwest Ag Summit, Yuma Lettuce Days and the John Palumbo Memorial Golf Tournament have helped generate scholarship funding.

Kuechel said those community efforts have turned local support into educational opportunities for students pursuing agriculture-related careers.

The organization has awarded hundreds of scholarships since its creation. Kuechel previously reported that YCAPS had awarded 312 scholarships totaling more than $463,000 since 2007.

The scholarship is designed to provide continued support as students progress through college and, in some cases, graduate-level studies, as long as they remain in good standing.

For students like University of Arizona junior Erubiel Contreras, the financial assistance helps reduce the cost of pursuing an agriculture degree.

Contreras is studying sustainable plant systems and expects to graduate in spring 2027. He is also gaining hands-on experience through an internship with Gowan at the University of Arizona Yuma Agricultural Center.

“It really does help me a lot, or it does help us a lot in general, to get that money that’s somewhat difficult to pay for these classes,” Contreras said.

Guadalupe Gonzalez, a senior at the University of Arizona majoring in agricultural systems management, is another scholarship recipient.

Gonzalez has completed internships in production and laboratory settings at Condor Seed Production. She said the financial support allows her to focus more on her education and career.

“It truly helps me out, focus more on my actual career and helps me get better grades and focus on what matters to me right now,” Gonzalez said.

Gonzalez plans to continue her education after completing her undergraduate degree, with the goal of earning a master’s degree in agriculture education and eventually helping mentor future students.

“Thank you to everybody that helped out with this. It truly makes a huge difference in our career and everything that we work for,” Gonzalez said.

YCAPS says its investment is about more than the dollar amount. The organization encourages scholarship recipients to explore careers across the agriculture industry, including science, business, engineering, research, water management and technology.

The program’s goal is to help build the next generation of agricultural professionals while keeping opportunities open for students who choose to build their careers in Yuma County or gain experience elsewhere before returning to the region.

The Yuma County Ag Producers Scholarship Fund is a 501(c)(3) organization focused on providing scholarships for students pursuing agriculture and agribusiness studies.